Tikbalang: The Demon Horse of the Phillippines

Tikbalang is one of the most popular and enduring mythical creatures in the Filipino folklore. It was believed to be a half human, half horse creature in the mold of the Greek god of the wild, Pan, that is, having an upper body of a man and lower body of an animal. The creature have two versions of appearance: the more popular portrayal is that tikbalang has the head of a horse, while the lesser known version is it only sports human visage.

This creature have powerful legs that resemble the rear quarter of a horse, hooves and all. Legend says that whoever can ride the tikbalang and pluck its golden hair from its nape can tame the beast and make it serves you willingly. However, the tikbalang, powerful as it is, never hurt or kill people. At worst, it only leads people astray and plays mischievous tricks on their senses.

WATCH THE DOCUMENTARY: 

Photo Credit: News Abs-Cbn